From Ismail Omipidan, Abuja
The crisis ravaging the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appears to be far from being over. A fresh crisis is brewing in the opposition party over what some of the party’s leaders refer to as its lack of courage to discipline those who are openly undermining the party.
Although, those holding this view had been saying it in hushed tones, former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, during the week, came out openly to declare that unless the party applies the sledge hammer, he would no longer attend any meeting with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, Nyesom Wike and his allies, particularly former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom. Ortom, like Wike, has since declared he would work for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election.
According to Lamido, he could not imagine himself attending the same Board of Trustees (BoT) meetings with Ortom to discuss the future of PDP.
“What kind of meeting will I be attending with Samuel Anyanwu who has been rejected by his people, the South- East, but is being forced on the party by elements from another zone?
“Today, people openly working against the PDP are still being tolerated. Those who claim to love PDP, but are clearly undermining it, should be expelled by the National Working Committee NWC.
“Why has that not happened? Look at the Board of Trustees of which I am a member, people like Ortom who declared support for Peter Obi during the 2023 general elections are still members of the PDP.
“Look, that is why I have said it, that I will not attend any PDP meeting unless Wike is expelled and people like Ortom are removed from the BoT.
“I remain a PDP member. But I will not participate in any of the party’s activities and meetings while those sabotaging the party remain at the helms,” Lamido said.
But other sources within the party are of the view that Lamido’s position appears to be extreme.
“You select your battles. You don’t face too many battles at the same time. Since we have been able to hold our NEC meeting, I believe we have broken the jinx.
“I can confirm to you that if that last NEC meeting had failed to hold, by now the Atiku group would have addressed the press to bid us farewell. They wanted to use it as an opportunity to move to the ADC. So, now that we have put that behind us, I will implore Lamido and his group to exercise some restraint especially that we are in the process of resolving the National Secretary issue. So, why do you want to play into their hands? At this stage, we must be extremely careful, “ the source said. However, another prominent member of the party accused Lamido and other leaders of the party of forcing Wike to metamorphose to who he is today.
He said: “Where were they when he was funding the party, changing convention venue at will? In 2019, out of the about 700 delegates, he had over 300 delegates. He singlehandedly almost foisted Tambuwal on the party before the retired generals rallied round Atiku.
“When Atiku wanted to concede to Wike, to make him a running mate, former Niger State Governor, Aliyu Banbagida, Lamido, General Gusau and Adamu Maina Waziri were the ones who asked Atiku to call Wike’s bluff. In the end, what did they do when the crisis broke out?
“They were relying on Buhari to deliver Atiku. What was the end result? In the past, Rivers will deliver one million votes to the PDP. But we wasted it in the last election. APC won, Obi came second and PDP 3rd in Rivers State. Wike is an alternative president. It could be that they are setting the ground again for ADC, having failed to achieve it during our last NEC meeting. Were they not the same people that were behind the Sheraton meeting? And they have even convinced our BoT chairman too, Wabara, who followed them to that meeting.
“Look, the only way to prevent another round of crisis is to follow through the process we have started. I am sure if we are patient, we will get to our desired destination because unless we are able to clear all these obstacles, we are likely to lose more governors. No one will run on the platform of the party that has no clear-cut leadership. Otherwise, after elections, the court will sack all of them the way it happened in Plateau. It is in an attempt to avoid that scenario that someone like Eno (Akwa-Ibom governor) is contemplating jumping ship. And what the APC is planning is to ensure that we do not have any strong financially buoyant state that would support us for the elections,” he added.
But Lamido insisted that Wike’s boastful claim of being the financier of the party should not confer on him the authority to treat the PDP like a leper.
Likening the situation to that of a mother and son, Lamido said: “Here is someone who was honoured by the PDP, brought into relevance by the PDP, and now turning around to fight the very party that made him.”
He was particularly enraged that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) under the FCT minister could seal off the PDP Secretariat for whatever reason.
“What Wike has done is un-African, and un-Nigerian. I don’t understand how someone, simply because of his own ambition, can take things so personal, and act so destructively.
“He claims that he financed, and still financing the PDP, But I ask: is it wrong for a son to take care of his mother? Does it now mean the mother must submit to the son and take orders from him simply because he is providing her clothing? However, l am glad that President Tinubu intervened” Lamido added.
But Wike is obviously not bothered by such rhetoric. Although President Tinubu has granted a two-week waiver for defaulters to pay, Wike has vowed to seal off any building still owing the FCTA once that ultimatum expires.
“Look at the years, 20-something years, 30-something years. And how much is it? We have not increased the ground rent, but we are working towards that, we will do that, I can assure. The President has given a waiver of two weeks. Let nobody think that blackmail or whatever will stop us; we will do what we are supposed to do.”